Monday, October 3, 2011

Gift of Giving

A traveler goes into a town hit by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. The traveler explains that he doesn't need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them.

The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cooking bowl with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This repeats until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and spinach indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.

We understand from the story, that we all keep our ideas, knowledge and love to ourselves, with the view that not sharing will actually make us richer. But the fact is any knowledge or love that we have we are only poor. It is only if this little knowledge and love comes from everyone, we really become richer. Share the little knowledge and love you have with everyone, it will make the entire world a better richer place.